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Flight Attendants Sue Delta For Alleged Antisemitism

Four current and former flight attendants are suing Delta Airlines for alleged anti-semitism, according to a federal discrimination lawsuit.

The suit, filed in Brooklyn court, alleges "a pattern of intentionally discriminating and retaliating against ethnically Jewish, Hebrew and/or Israeli employees and passengers", according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

It goes on to allege that Delta executives believe that Jews "cannot be trusted, are aggressive and inappropriate, and engage in what are deemed to be 'strange' behaviors by conducting prayers on the flight and requiring special dietary accommodations (kosher meals)."

The four accusing flight attendants are all veterans of the air, with 10 to 40 years experience each, and point at specific examples as evidence for their case.

via travelandleisure.com

One flight attendant alleges she was fired in March of 2017 simply because she was Jewish. Delta airlines counter that she missed one of her scheduled flights, to which the attendant says she had been granted emergency medical leave under the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), a rule that requires employers to provide unpaid leave in the event of a family medical emergency.

Another flight attendant says she had her flight benefits taken away because she named a Jewish friend as her “Travel Companion”. The Delta Travel Companion benefit allows a friend or family member to travel anywhere in the world without paying airfare (although they do have to pay taxes and service fees). Delta says she violated company policy by providing him with the travel pass, but she refutes this saying that she had been friends with the man for 40 years.

Not only did Delta remove her travel benefit, they also demoted her. The flight attendant says that if her friend hadn’t been Jewish the company wouldn’t have batted an eye.

In addition to those specific instances, the suit alleges a particular flight from New York to Israel created a "hostile" and "intimidating environment".

The four flight attendants are seeking unspecified damages, the fired flight attendant to be re-hired, and the reinstatement of other’s travel pass.

Delta said in a prepared statement that it "strongly condemns the allegations of discrimination described in this suit and will defend itself vigorously against them."

"As a global airline that brings people across the world together every day, Delta values diversity in all aspects of its business and has zero tolerance for discrimination," the carrier added.